Norwegian Molde, which was eliminated in the round of 16 in last year's edition of the Europa Conference League final Legia Warszawa, winning the aggregate 6-2, will be the rival of Jagiellonia Białystok on Thursday in the league phase match of this competition. The guests arrived in Podlasie on Tuesday, and on Wednesday they had a traditional press conference and pre-match training at the Chorten Arena.
The Polish goalkeeper Molde is a “black sheep”. “We didn't come here for a gift.”
When selecting a player for the conference, Molde thought geographically and next to coach Erling Moe sat the Polish goalkeeper of the Norwegian club – Albert Głosała. The 21-year-old, although he was not listed among the best goalkeepers in the Ekstraklasa, managed to gain a place in the goal of the Norwegian Cup winner in recent months.
– Recently I have been taking quite big steps forward. This showed how dynamic the world of football is. Even though I traveled a little further than before, I knew it was an investment in myself and I actually felt at a higher level. The decision was quick, but I was thinking about this investment and that I could return to Poland at any time. Everything is going well, so I don't plan it for now, said Obajła, who joined Molde in February this year.
Interestingly, apart from the Pole, everyone else stayed football players Molde's team includes Scandinavians – Norwegians, but also Swedes and Danes. – I am a “black sheep”, but thanks to my good English, joining this locker room was not a problem. I'm also learning Norwegian, it's going slowly, which amuses the team and staff a bit, smiled the Polish goalkeeper, who knows what to expect from Jagiellonia on Thursday evening.
– Jaga showed with Copenhagen that it can fight against such teams. We didn't come here for a gift, we just expect a hard fight. We want to go out and show Molde football, he said.
Molde coach about Jagiellonia: It faced reality and has come a long way
Coach Erling Moe, who has been leading the Molde team for over 5.5 years, has a similar view on Thursday's match.
– I watched Jagiellonia's matches with Bodo/Glimt. Jagiellonia didn't look too good at that time. She has come a long way since then and found herself in the last matches. Her series shows that she is in good shape. It will be a tight match, we are prepared for it and I believe that we will show our good side on the pitch, which will bring a lot of emotions – said the 54-year-old coach.
Where does the Norwegian see the greatest improvement in Jagiellonia? – The most obvious thing is defense. Jagiellonia is more compact, aggressive and does not leave as much space for rivals. That's why he looks better than in the games at the beginning of the season. But I believe we have found something special that will help us tomorrow. I think it's primarily about the team, not the individuals. As a coach, I like it. Jagiellonia played spectacularly last season. It is sometimes difficult to find your way in a new reality after changes in the line-up. Jagiellonia tried to play more bravely, but faced reality and came back a bit more defensive – analyzed Moe.
His Molde arrived in Białystok greatly weakened. Among those absent for a long time are Magnus Wolff Eikrem and Fredrik Gulbrandsen, who defeated Legia Warszawa in February, and Veton Berisha, Markus Kassa and Martin Linnes will also not play. Moreover, in the last match against Bodo/Glimt, defense leader Casper Oyvann suffered a knee injury.
– We will play without eight or nine players who could play in the eleven, but this is football. In the long season they sometimes happen injuriesbut we have a good team. We will field eleven players and it will be a good team. We have to focus on those who are with us and I believe that they will do a good job – assured the coach of the Norwegian Cup winners.
Hit! Coach Molde appealed at the conference: “In the evening we all watch Top Model!”
A funny scene took place at the very end of the conference, when coach Erling Moe unexpectedly hugged Albert's side in a friendly manner and appealed to everyone: “Tonight, at 9:15 p.m., we all turn on Top Model and watch his sister!”
As it turned out, it was not a joke on the part of the Norwegian coach. The sister of the former goalkeeper of Radomiak Radom, Adrianna Dzieńła, actually takes part in the current edition of the “Top Model” program. The support of the Molde team helped, because Gwiazda advanced to the next stage, while two other people were eliminated from the program.
The European Conference League match between Jagiellonia Białystok and Molde FK will take place on Thursday, November 7 at 9:00 p.m. Live coverage on Sport.pl.